Jenova's Summoning
by Defenestrator
Summary: When Jenova calls, her clones must answer. One, however, will fight against it. Set during the same time as FF7.
1. The Awakening

Green filled its vision. A green substance surrounding it, nourishing it. It reached out, feeling glass, and rage filled it. With one swift action it drew back its legs, and smashed them straight through its see-through prison. Rolling through the hole, the rage that fuelled it intensified as it examined the stark white chamber. With an inhuman strength, it sent a fist flying through a wall. Unfortunately, the laws of physics sent it crashing through the other wall. The fury possessing it pushed away the waves of pain coursing through its body, and with little effort, it picked itself up. 

The clothing on the chair caught its eye, and the familiarity of it brought about a vague sense of self-awareness. He dressed himself, although with a little difficulty, before forcing the door open. The hallway stretched out endlessly before him as he ran. Turning a corner, he growled in frustration as yet another hallway appeared before him. The flashing lights and siren sounds emitted from there began to annoy him, and he paused long enough to end the existence of one unfortunate bulb before continuing. Further down, he sighted small troop of soldiers framed in a doorway, and his world flashed red. As it finally settled down around him again, he steadied himself against a wall and studied the bodies lying around him. One of them gripped a large sword different from the others, and it tugged at his mind. He pried the sword away, and his fingers settled onto it like it was an old friend. Then, without thinking, he was up and away again, his legs leading the rest of his body in flight. 

Thudding down some stairs, both his blade and his vision flashed rapidly – one silver and one red – as more soldiers attempted to block his path. With a roar, he leapt through the door at the bottom only to find more of them filling the floor, all with him in their sights. Before his mind could react, he was already launching himself into the air, his arms grabbing the beam in the ceiling as his legs swung over it. The bullets pierced the beam as he ran towards the exit, and as he approached the door he leaped off, sword spinning, and landed on an unfortunate group of troops before they could hit him. Hitting the floor with a grunt, he used it as a running start and darted out the door and around the corner. Then, as the rage consumed him once more, he turned to face the flood of soldiers emptying the building. His world went red, and he knew no more.


	2. Old Friends

The ceiling swirled overhead when he opened his eyes, before coming back into focus. He realised there was a bandage in his upper arm, and another one on his leg. For some reason, a vague sense of self-loathing came over him. He saw himself, a child, repeatedly falling off a bicycle, and finally giving up completely. He saw two older hands waving around wildly, before collapsing in despair. He saw a pair of figures walk away as he lay whimpering in the dirt, his sword held limply in one hand. He saw the world swim before his eyes as he collapsed in the middle of what looked like a wreckage heap, too tired to go on. The intense hatred inside him exploded, and he picked up his bed and tossed it against the nearest wall. The door opened, and a person entered the room. He didn't pause his rampage, instead leaping onto the incoming figure as a substitute. His eyes seemed to glow green as the blanket of red settled over him yet again. 

*******************

When he awoke, he tried sitting up, only to realise he was securely trussed to the bed. He loudly gave voice to his feelings, shaking the room. Anger buoyed him. A voice nearby spoke.

"Sorry we hadta do that, Tyren. Raun woulda been dead by now if we hadn't pulled ya off him and tied ya down. I mean, you two were never really friends, but what was with that?! He's now officially labelled you a menace and wants ya outta here. What's happened, anyway? Ya go off, disappear for a few years, then next thing we know, Swatch finds ya lying on the ground, unconscious and pretty badly injured, in the middle of Wall Market. You shoulda seen him when he came back, hauling your carcass on one shoulder and hefting that hunk of metal ya call a sword on the other!"

The voice laughed, and Tyren turned his head in its direction. The person behind it was oddly familiar, with untamed brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to be laughing at everything they saw. Tyren frowned as the meaningless noises punctured his brain, the familiar rage building up in him, and the person laughed again. 

"Now that's a familiar expression, if I ever saw one. What's wrong now? Ya look like you don't even recognise me."

Tyren's fury escalated at his inability to comprehend the sounds, and he let out a frustrated growl, straining at his bonds. The person stared back into his eyes, and surprise registered on his features. 

"You really got no idea, do ya? It's Bent. B…E…N…T."

When he got no response beyond a reddening of the eyes, he continued.

"I dunno how much ya remember, but I rescued you from the train graveyard just beyond Sector 7, with Raun, Swatch and Dala. And damn, you were heavy too. Not to mention that so-called sword of yours. I'll never know how Swatch managed to lug ya back on his own. S'prolly one of them miracle things, like where someone gets extraordinary strength, eh?. Anyway, I'll bring up your dinner later, ok?"

Tyren, his anger now uncontrollable, strained against his bonds as he thrashed about on the bed. Inhuman sounds issued from his mouth. Bent inched towards the door, before making a hasty exit. 

"What _happened_ to him?"


	3. Memoria

Tyren's head tossed about his pillow, his moans intruding the silence of the night in much the same way as his dreams intruded his slumber. 

_A monster loomed above him, as he feverishly gripped his sword, his eyes searching the surrounding area for a way out of the sewer. Seeing none that were immediately available, he groaned, then leapt out of the way as the huge, aqua creature lowered its horns and charged. The chains around its arms seemed to be of no consequence to it, and with amazing agility, it turned, looking for him. Further separated from the exit, Tyren stepped forward and dealt it a gash straight through its body. It howled, and tendrils of magic rose around it, calling forth a large tidal wave. Frozen from fright, he could only watch on as the shadow covered him, and crashed down… on the beast itself. The aftershocks of the wave swept him past the monster and towards the exit, but the force left him momentarily motionless. Luckily for him, the creature, too, was stunned. His terror pushed him upright, and Tyren raced towards the exit and clambered out – into an abandoned yard full of decrepit trains and a host of creatures, unhappy about the intruder._

Tyren awoke with a start and sat up – that is, he tried to sit up, before remembering the ropes around him. He shut his eyes in disgust_. I couldn't even stand up and face that monster. And if that guy was right, I didn't even make it through that train place._ His contempt grew with each passing moment, and the sleep he fell into was far from restful. 

_"Hurry up, Tyren. The Don's getting too far ahead, and if we're not careful he'll get lost in the crowd. Then we'd be in trouble."_

_"Sorry, man. I'm trying, but it's really hard to push through a crowd of people in the narrow alleyways of Sector 3 when you're my size. People don't tend to give way if you're not a hulking great mass of muscle, you know."_

_"I have no idea why he hired you as a bodyguard – you're only sixteen, and you don't even have the right build for it."_

_He must have seen something in Tyren's expression, as he quickly changed tack._

_"It's not that you're not good at it," he said, patting Tyren on the shoulder. "You just need a few more years to get more experience and fill out a bit. Now, get moving – we almost lost him there!"_

_Tyren looked around for his companion as he melted into the crowd, and swore silently to himself. Eyes desperately searching, he furiously shoved his way through the thronging mass, only to find that he was alone. He had lost his partner, and he had lost Don Corneo, the man he was charged to protect. Without warning, he was pushed into an alleyway, as two generously endowed men towered over him. He automatically drew his sword, and assumed a fighting stance._

_"You see that? The runt wants to fight!"_

_"Don't worry, kid. We're not here to fight. You work for Don Corneo, right? Well, our master has a message we'd like you to give to him."_

The figures loomed on either side of him, cracking their knuckles, as he raised his sword in defence.

Tyren's heart seemed to jolt his eyes open, only to be greeted by a pair of deep brown eyes staring intently at him. 

"Good, you're finally awake. I think you were having a nightmare of sorts, the way your head was jolting around, not to mention those noises you were making. I would have shaken you out of it, but did you know that it's really bad to wake someone who's having a nightmare? I can tell you what your nightmare meant, if you want."

She comprehended his blank look, and shook her head.

"So Bent wasn't kidding around. You don't know who we are, do you? Do you even know who you are?"

Words filtered through to his consciousness, as he struggled to deal with a form of communication that had been forced into the annals of his memory.

"I'm… I'm… I'm a failure."


	4. The Swatch Slash

Tyren ran his thumb over the blade of his sword, before picking it up and heading outside to the street for some practice. With the return of his speech had come his humanity, although much of his past still remained a mystery to him. The people who had taken him in and helped him to recovery he did not recognise, although once, long ago, they had apparently played a large part in his life. Bent, Dala, Swatch and… Raun. An odd group, but he'd taken to them almost immediately, with the exception of Raun. He supposed it was because he'd attacked Raun awhile back – not that he remembered doing it, but according to everyone else, he'd done it all the same. Tyren spun his sword in his hands, before unleashing a devastating combo on the invisible enemy standing stock still in front of him. 

_"No! Not like that. You need to bring it down with more strength, more raw power. Otherwise you'll just give whoever you're facing a gentle knock on the head and get them even more pissed off at you. When done properly, this'll take even the most fearsome enemy out. I call it the Swatch Slash."_

Tyren hung his head as Swatch patted him on the back. 

"Don't worry, it just takes awhile to get the hang of. But maybe you should try a lighter weapon. It'd probably suit you more, as you're not exactly built for strength."

"Then again, I'm not built for speed or agility either, which is more a less a requirement of having a light sword of some sort."

He looked up to see Dala standing on one side, watching him practice. She gave him an encouraging smile. 

"Don't worry, you've got all the time in the world to practice it. Did you know that a sword like yours will last for centuries if you take proper care of it?"

Tyren shook his head, partly in response to her question and partly in disbelief at her large database of useless knowledge – one that she shared with everyone and anyone within earshot.

"Try it again, maybe this time will be the one."

Another voice joined in the prodding.

"C'mon, Tyren, show us what you got. I can tell by the way your muscles are rippling through your oh-so-magnificent torso that they can't wait to get started."

"Ah shaddup, Bent."

With a wild yell, Tyren attempted the move again, this time tumbling to the ground halfway through.

"Next time." 

With a final downward stroke, Tyren slammed the point into the ground as he came to a halt. His first properly done Swatch Slash, he realised. The increase in his strength and agility amazed him, and he wondered where they had come from. Before he could think it through, Swatch approached him with a huge smile on his face. 

"At least you still remember that, even if you don't remember much else. Your strength's increased pretty dramatically since we last saw you. And you move a helluva lot faster than before, that's for sure."

_I remember now. I remember._

But Swatch had ambled off, and he was on his own again, his sword moving in patterns only his body remembered.


	5. Betrayal

Tyren yawned as he emerged from his room. He was most definitely not a morning person, he decided. It was inside the bathroom that he realised that he had a piece of paper stuck to his foot. Locking the door behind him, he picked it up, and after a cursory examination, guiltily flicked it open and began reading.

"Tseng,

I have the missing experiment with me. You can come pick him up any time – he's at the weapons shop in Sector 4, and is going by the name of Tyren. Don't take too long, though; his memories are slowly returning, and I don't want a repeat of last time.

Raun"

Tyren was motionless with shock. Raun had betrayed him. A repeat of last time? What last time? He sat down as a scene, long forgotten, played back in front of his eyes.

_Tyren's heart was pounding as he peered around the corner. He knew that if he was caught, he probably wouldn't have a future worth considering. Raun and another man dressed in a suit, the trademark gear of the Turks, were having a whispered conversation. He shook his head in disgust, having a vague idea of the topic. _I'll stake my life on the fact that he's telling them where AVALANCHE's base is. That traitor. I knew he helped them out of more than just compassion. He better not get Bent or anyone else in trouble for selling them weapons. _With a sudden certainty, he knew he had to stop them now, before anything got out of hand. Unsheathing his sword in one fluid movement, he leapt into the tiny circle of light where the two were standing, hoping to take out the Turk first. He had not counted on the swift reflexes of the Turk, however, and ended up sprawled awkwardly on the ground. Rolling aside, Tyren assumed the crouched position leading into the Swatch Slash. The Turk raised his gun, and he went straight into the combo. His lack of natural speed hindered him, and he was swatted out of the air when the Turk's balled fist met with his stomach. As Tyren collapsed on the ground, he heard the Turk calling for backup for Sector Seven. Raun's voice overrode it all, with two simple words. _

"You weakling."

His eyes met Raun's, and Tyren was sure he could see intense satisfaction lodged deep inside them. Turning his head away in disgust, his mind froze in shock as the butt of the Turk's gun zeroed in on his head.

Tyren's blood rose as he spun around to face the door. With a well-aimed kick, he sent it flying off its hinges, and stormed out in search of Raun. Their untimely clash halfway down the stairs sent everyone else running, but all he could think of was vengeance. His fists met with Raun's body again and again, as the curtain of red threatened to come down. But it didn't. His awareness remained with him throughout, even as he was pulled away, struggling.

"Do you want to know why the Sector Seven roof came down last month? Why you had to move to Sector Five with nothing but your lives intact? Why so many other people died? Ask him! He knows what Shinra's been plotting for the last few years. He knows why the Shinra came and blasted the pillar. He knows why AVALANCHE was crushed underfoot. He knows who ratted them out."

Raun's face was the very model of indignation.

"He's lying! He's gone mad again! I told you we should have thrown him out! Now he's attacking with both his fists and his words!"

Tyren was unaware of anything else. The redness finally settled down around him, and consciousness slipped from his wavering grasp.


	6. Friendship

Just a warning to anyone who's bothered reading this lil fic of mine this far – don't expect too many updates too soon. Some parts of the story later on need the earlier parts to be rewritten, and there's just no time these days. ^^   
Anyways, enough of that, and on with the story. 

-----------------------------------------------

He awoke to find himself tied down again. It was dark, and he wondered how long he had been out this time. _I had a chance to reveal Raun for who he really was, and I went and screwed it up royally. Again. The Turks will be coming soon, and I can't do a damn thing. Typical Tyren. Helpless and useless._

The door creaked open slightly, and Bent crept into the room, knife in hand. Seeing Tyren awake and obviously sane, he sighed in relief.   
Cutting through Tyren's bonds effortlessly, he muttered, "I dunno 'bout anyone else, but I believe ya. You gotta get outta the city, before Shinra come. They got a nasty habit of hunting people down. If you were right, Raun'll run to them as soon as he can, being the baby that he is."

Another figure edged through the door, Dala. She jumped at the sight of Bent, but relaxed when she realised he was there for the same reason as her.

"I don't think we'll do anything to Raun – it'll be safer with him here where we can keep an eye on him. Here's some gil. Don't waste it, it's all I have."

The door opened once more, and this time, it was Swatch. Seeing the other two, he betrayed no emotion other than the slight rise of his left eyebrow. Turning to Tyren, he pressed a small yellow ball into his hand.

"It's called Enemy Skill. If any of the monsters out there use certain skills on you, you learn them instantly. Well, that's what the guy in the store said, anyway. I've never had the chance to use it in here, so it'll probably be more useful to you."

"Much easier than trying to learn the Swatch Slash, wouldn't you say?"

Bent leapt back as Tyren took a swipe at him, then turned and looked mournfully at Swatch.

"Attacked by the very person I'm trying to help. What's the world coming to, I ask you."

He turned back to Tyren.

"I'm gonna miss ya, ol' buddy. You better not get caught by the Shinra after all this. Here, I packed food and stuff in this pack. Even included a map of the world as an extra bonus. Take care, ok?"

Tyren nodded, and hugged each of them before making his way to the window.

"Thanks for everything. I'll always remember all of you. And be careful, with Raun around Shinra might decide to go after you as well. I'll never know why you believed me, much less helped me, after everything was said and done. But I appreciate it." 

"It's because we're your friends, you idiot."

With a small smile, Tyren swung out the window and clambered down the wall. His pack and sword came soon after, and he strapped both on before turning towards Sector Six. Setting his shoulders resolutely, he walked away, refusing a final look back at the two-storey building where a lone window was lit, the light marred by three shadowy figures.


	7. Ahead On His Way

Tyren had a vague knowledge of Sector Six, having come once or twice with the Don. He remembered it as a quiet place, with few people inclined to ask questions about anyone. He also remembered an exit somewhere nearby, making it a perfect place to rest and regroup before leaving Midgar. Keeping his head down, he wandered through the town examining his options, before deciding that an inn was too public a place to stay. There didn't seem to be many other options, and he wanted to find somewhere quickly, before he was set upon by the numerous pickpockets and cutthroats in the area. In the end, he decided to crash in an old sewer pipe, already occupied by an incoherent old man who seemed to have no objections to his intrusion. The TV in there was on full blast, and after watching the news, Tyren was relieved to see that the Shinra hadn't yet made the search public. With a somewhat lighter heart, he pulled out his bedroll and settled in for what remained of the night.

The sounds of stores setting up for the day and people leaving for work filtered through to Tyren, and with a groan, he sat up. He knew he had to be out of Midgar before Raun could contact Shinra. Hurriedly strapping everything back on, he made a quiet exit from the pipe so as not to awaken the old man dozing on the couch, then made his way to Wall Market for supplies. Accosted by various creatures along the way, he was pleasantly surprised at the ease with which he defeated them. His first stop was the materia store. After much deliberation, and a not-very-happy person waiting impatiently behind the counter, he left with a Cure and a Fire materia. Passing by the clothing store on his way back, a hooded black robe caught his eye. He realised he could, effectively, remain hidden and nameless under it, and even though it cost him most of what he had left, he bought it. Feeling much more confident under it, he returned to Sector Six, and the only exit from Midgar that he knew of. 

"Open! Open up, damn you!"

A voice behind Tyren spoke up.

"You need a key to get in and out of the city. So, I suppose its just as well that I'm also leaving."

Tyren mumbled his thanks as the stranger produced the aforementioned object, and unlocking the gate, he let Tyren through first before stepping outside himself and relocking it.

"How come you're leaving Midgar, my black-hooded friend? Are you going on the excavating trip up north as well?"

"No, just uh… you know, visiting family and stuff."

The man nodded, then angled himself in the direction of the beach.

"We're all meeting up at the shore, and I suppose you're going overland. Nice meeting you. Goodbye, friend."

Tyren dipped his head in reply, then scrabbled through the pack for his map as the man walked off. The closest village seemed to be Kalm, about two days away. With a sigh, he set his sight on the seemingly endless plains, his back to Midgar, and began the lonely trek.


	8. Levelling Up

An inn! A blessed inn! Tyren's joy overwhelmed him at the sight of the plain, homely building. The monsters were much tougher than he'd expected, and he'd found himself running away whenever he could. Even so, all he wanted to do right now was collapse onto a bed and fall asleep.   
  
He'd finally figured out how to use the enemy skill materia – some of Shinra's robots patrolled Midgar's surroundings, and they'd attacked him mercilessly by sending out a barrage of missiles. He barely managed to avoid them, a few exploding near his feet and showering him with huge chunks of earth. His materia had glowed bright yellow then, and he'd found that he now had that same ability, but instead of missiles, tendrils of magic flew from his hands to engulf the enemy. He'd distracted many creatures in this way to give him enough time to run.   
  
That was not to say, however, that his cure materia hadn't seen good use. Between that and the enemy skill, he'd exhausted much of his power. Dragging his weary body into the inn, he asked for a bed for the night. The innkeeper gave him a strange look at the request, but provided him with a room nonetheless. Tyren found himself voicing a silent prayer of thanks for the fact that many of the monsters he'd defeated had had gil on them.  
  
Things outside Midgar cost quite a lot more in comparison, and he realised money was going to be a big problem. The bed loomed before him then, interrupting his thoughts, as the pillow rushed up to meet his head.


	9. Homecoming

The town of Kalm was much like its name, a small place where Tyren figured he could lie low for a while. As soon as he awoke, he decided to explore the town thoroughly and look for any possible escape routes should the Shinra track him here. As he passed through a certain part of town, one particular house caught his attention. Trying the door, he found that it was locked, and the dusty furniture he could make out through the windows told him that no one had lived here in years. Moving back out and staring intently at it, he struggled to remember what it was about this house that tugged at his memory.

  


_The little boy ran around the street in front of the house, chasing the bubbles his friend was blowing._

"Tyren! Dinnertime! Come and eat before it goes cold!"

The boy turned to his friend and made a face, before running to the door.

"See ya, Sandi."

He cocked his head to one side, listening to another voice in the distance.

"I think your mum's calling you too. Better go."

The door shut behind him, and the scene abruptly changed.

"Daddy, look! No hands!"

The kite floated up and above the boy's reach as he let go of it completely. The man chased after it, before leaping up and grabbing it before it was entangled in a nearby tree. Returning it to the boy, he shook his head in amusement.

"I don't know if I'd do that with a kite. If you want to do tricks like that, you should use a bike."

"Ooooo! Can I have a bike, daddy? Can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeeease?"

"We'll see, Tyren. Maybe for your birthday. We'd have to go to Midgar to get it, though. Kalm doesn't have a bike store."

"Aww… Can we move to Midgar then?"

His father smiled and ruffled his sandy brown hair.

"Your mum and I love Kalm too much to leave. And we'd have to live in slums if we went there. I'm sure you wouldn't want that. And what about Sandi? Would you want to leave her behind? But I don't see why we can't visit for a day or two IF we decide to get you a bike."

"Please please please please please can we go then?"

"We'll see."

  


Tyren shook himself out of his reverie. _No wonder why this place seemed so familiar. I grew up here, it seems._ Then another thought struck him. _Where's my family? Where are they and why aren't they here?_ He broke into a run, determined to question everyone in the town if necessary. _I'll find them. No matter what it takes._


	10. Discovery

The shopkeeper looked up as the door was flung open. A young man rushed in, desperation written on his face. She took a closer look as he approached the counter, and her tone was one of surprise as she spoke.

"Tyren?! Is that you? I never expected to see you back again, not after everything that was said and done."

The man looked up, obviously confused.

"Do I know you?"

He examined her more closely, and his eyes, once a deep brown but now astonishingly emerald, widened.

"Sandi, right? We were friends once, weren't we? I need your help now. What happened to my parents? Where are they? Or, at least, why aren't they here?"

She gave him a strange look, wondering why he seemed so disorientated and confused.

"What's wrong with you? This is some kind of weird joke, right?"

"What do you mean, a joke?! This is serious! I need to know about my family! Please, you gotta help me!"

Looking into the two pools of green, she saw that he wasn't kidding around. He honestly had no idea.

Softly, she said, "Tyren, I don't know how to tell you this. The Shinra arrested your parents and escorted them to Midgar when we were fifteen. You left to find them, remember? You swore you'd never return unless it was with them."

_He was held back, arms and legs waving wildly while his vision filled with tears, as the Shinra soldiers led his parents away. They claimed it was because they were at the head of a conspiracy to destabilise Shinra, but he knew better. That stupid Mako plant. They just HAD to be the ones rallying everyone else against it. He'd told them repeatedly to tone it down and just leave the issue alone, but they'd ignored him. Protecting his future. Hah. That'd got them far. His anger welled up inside him as he clenched his fists and dreamed of revenge._

That night, he packed his stuff and walked down the street to where Sandi was waiting.

"I'm going alone. This is my problem, and I'll deal with it. I swear to you, I won't come back until I find them and wreak my vengeance on those Shinra bastards."

Before she could do or say anything, he slipped into the inky darkness, following the trail of the soldiers.

Tyren's eyes went blank, she noticed, after which he seemed to crumple before her. She was shocked at how hard it had hit him. It was worse than the event itself. He stumbled out of the shop, and she followed, a frown creasing her face. Finally coming to a halt at his house, he sat down in a foetal position on the front step, head resting between his arms, as his body shook uncontrollably. She didn't know what to do, so she simply sat down beside him and waited for him to calm down. After a few minutes he raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, and said in a steady, determined voice, "I'm going back to Midgar tomorrow, and I'm going to find them this time."

His voice wavered and his tone changed, as uncertainty and self-loathing made their entrance.

"I won't disappoint them this time 'round, Sandy. I can't. This is much too important for that. I haven't done anything right in so long because I'm a failure, but this'll be the first."

With that he strode down the street and into the inn, shoulders hunched. Why does he insist on torturing himself? Why can't he accept himself for who he is?, she wondered.

His words echoed in her head as she made her way back to the shop. 

"Because I'm a failure."


	11. The Puppeteer

The resolution to return to Midgar infused Tyren as he stepped out of Kalm. Nothing was going to stop him now – not Turks, not soldiers and most definitely not Raun. As he looked over the plains, they seemed to spin around. Slowly, ground and sky merged into one huge swirl, and faded away to black. He felt as if he was drowning, suffocating, and thrashed around wildly before being sucked into himself. The feeling slowed, then stopped completely, leaving him in nothingness. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was a small, scrawny figure he barely recognised, and cried out in alarm. A familiar voice echoed around him as an apparition took form in front of him. 

"Fancy seeing you here, Tyren."

Tyren involuntarily stepped back at the recognition of the voice.

"Raun?! What are you doing here? Where am I? How'd you get here? WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE?!"

The now solid figure laughed, malice in its voice.

"What are you going to do? Look at you, you weakling. This is the real you. Even more real than the 'you' that everyone, yourself included, sees."

"This isn't me! It's not! How can this 'true' me be so different to the me in the outside world? I can't exist as two different people at the same time! Just GO AWAY!"

He unsheathed his sword, and realised with horror that it was much heavier than he remembered. With great effort, he swung it at Raun, his whole body following the movement of the sword. Raun laughed as he calmly stepped backwards, the noise sending shivers coursing through Tyren's body.

"That you is merely an armour of sorts. But for now, you seem to be going in the right direction, so I'll return you to your world with your delusions. It's hardly fair for me to imprison a half-tame puppet like you in here, although I could easily defeat you. There has been no need to do so with the other one, and you are not as much of a threat as him. Until we meet again…"

Tyren blinked, and realised that the sun was almost down. He seemed to be walking through undulating grassland, with chocobo footprints scattered here and there. He wondered where he was, and how long he'd been walking. The fatigue sank in then, along with the hunger, and he paused his walk for a moment to rummage through his pack for some food. Throwing off the black cloak he'd apparently donned, he scanned the horizon, where he spotted a small farm. He fervently hoped the people there would let him stay for the night. At the very least, they could tell him where he was, and how much longer it was to Midgar. Sighing as he heaved his pack again, he continued to eat as he walked, and refused to give any thought to what had just happened.


	12. Meet the Family

The elderly couple at the Chocobo Farm, much to his relief, had agreed to let him stay the night – for a small fee, of course. They showed him to a small room, where he placed his pack and sword.

"Could you tell me where I am, and how far it is to Midgar?"

The old man frowned.

"Well boy, you can't go directly to Midgar from here. You'd have to go past Kalm, which is about three or four days' walk, before heading there. So, overall, I'd say about five days."

He pointed to where the sun was setting.

"Thataways is the marsh, and if you make it through there and the caves, you can go to Junon. Just be watch out for the Midgar Zolom. It's a serpent-like creature almost 30 feet tall! It picks up on footsteps that enter the marshes… and then BAM! It attacks! A Chocobo will see you safely through if you're careful, which is why we set up a small farm here. My grandchildren, Choco Billy, Chole and Caaliey help out. If you want a chocobo, go see one of them. They came to live with us when their parents died, poor things."

The old man paused, and shook his head as if to clear it.

"I'm sorry, you must excuse an old man's ramblings. I think dinner's ready, and you can meet the whole family then. Please, this way."

He led the way out of the room, where Tyren stood with a slightly stunned expression on his face. Hoping fervently that dinner wouldn't last too long, he followed his nose to the dining room, where everyone was filtering in.

*****

"Tyren, I'd like to introduce you to my family. I'm Bill, but everyone calls me Choco Bill. Like little Choco Billy over there."

The boy looked up and gave him a grin before continuing to stuff his face.

"This here's my wife Ella, and our grandkids Chole and Caaliey."

At a nudge from her grandmother, Caaliey stood up and gracefully curtsied, her dress fanning out around her as she did. Choco Bill's wife picked up where he left off.

"Caaliey's leaving for Midgar tomorrow, where she can learn to be a real lady, just like her mother wanted. There's someone there who's agreed to take her in."

She beamed with pleasure, and Tyren resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

"Well, now, isn't that convenient!" the old man exclaimed. "This lad says he's going to Midgar too!"

With a silent sigh, Tyren knew what they expected him to do. He just hoped the girl wouldn't be a dead weight when they were attacked by the creatures that lurked in the grasslands.

"She can travel with me, if she wants. I don't mind at all."

The old woman looked relieved.

"We were worried about her travelling all that way alone. Thank you, young man."

"Not a problem."

*****

Tyren was extremely grateful when dinner was over. The old couple had a tendency to chatter for long periods of time, and he found that all he wanted to do was collapse on the bed. His world distorted, the same swirling, drowning sensation consumed him, and once again he seemed to be sucked into himself.

"Good to see you again, Tyren. You seem to have the most stubborn idea of going back to Midgar, though. I'm here to set you straight."

Tyren glared at Raun, again attempting to lift his sword, and again unable to sustain the effort.

"Just go away, Raun! Don't you understand the meaning of the words LEAVE ME ALONE?"

"You can barely swing that sword of yours, can you? So why should I be scared of someone as scrawny as you?"

Tyren rushed at him, only to be swept off-balance as his sword swung through air.

"Don't blame me. This is how your mind perceives itself, which is why here, at the very core of your being, this is all you are. And _this_ is what I am."

Raun's muscles seemed to expand, and soon his body grew to immense proportions.

"Simple, see? Well, I'll return you now, as you've once again been set back on the right path, and there's something out there I'm sure you'll want to deal with."

The last Tyren heard was an echoing laugh, before everything came rushing back and he found himself in the middle of a swamp. 


	13. Overwhelmed

Sorry about the long absence - school calls. But I'll try and update more regularly from now on, maybe a few times a month.

* * *

The reeds rustled as Tyren picked his way through the muck, unsure of which way to go. A sudden noise to his left decided for him, and Tyren ran wildly in the opposite direction, his footsteps pounding in the mud.

Suddenly, a roar echoed through the night sky, and he turned to see a huge, cobra-like creature rearing up behind him. He knew he couldn't run, and throwing off his black cloak, he brought his sword out in front of him, tip waving menacingly at the creature's stomach. The old man's words came back to him, and he realised that this was most likely the Midgar Zolom.

His fear paralysed him, and he barely managed to leap out of the way of a snapping set of fangs. Calling on his Fire materia, he sent a ball of fire at the creature's body. It let out another roar, full of anger this time, as if the fire was only an annoyance to it. Leaping in with his sword, Tyren used the Swatch Slash on it, and it recoiled in what seemed like terror. Just as he lifted his sword again, the creature called upon its own magic, and unleashed a devastating attack on him, and he felt like a bomb had just hit him. His yellow materia glowed.

Groaning, and unable to move, he was lifted into the air in the creature's jaws. The oversized maw, he could tell, was crushing his body, and he could feel his life slowly ebbing away. The pain of his failure wiped out all else from his mind, his despair crushing him much more effectively than the Zolom.

For a reason that eluded him, he was dropped to the ground as the Zolom cried out in pain. Looking up, he noticed a dagger protruding from one of the creature's eyes. As it thrashed in agony, he heard the sound of a chocobo, and was unceremoniously picked up and dumped on its back as it passed by. He noticed, as they rode, that they seemed to be heading towards the mountains, instead of away from them. Unable to find his voice to inform the rider that it was the wrong way, he settled for emitting a single groan, before he passed out.


	14. An Unexpected Ally

Opening his eyes, he saw ribbons of light surrounding him. His pain seemed to lessen, and he recognised the effects of a cure materia being used. Forcing himself up, he turned to see who was using it, and with a jolt of surprise recognised the smudged and dirty face as Caaliey's. She was dressed in plain travelling clothes, nothing at all like the dress she had worn the night before. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, and around her waist was a belt of daggers, all looking like they had seen good use.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going off to be schooled on how to be a lady, or something of the sort."

She made a face at the comment, one that showed what she thought of that idea.

"My grandparents have all these grand hopes for me. I don't. All I want to be is a travelling mercenary, or at least something where I can travel the world with Qwark, here," she replied as she scratched her chocobo's neck.  "They don't like it too much when I ride off for days on her, but they can't do much about that. Which is why they were so happy about sending me off to Midgar so I could, in their words, 'Get those silly dreams out of your head and settle down like a real lady should.'"

Tyren raised his eyebrow.

"Well, not to worry, you certainly don't look like one right now. And believe me, being a mercenary isn't all it's cracked up to be. Trust me. It's a rather boring life."

She stuck her tongue out at him before continuing.

"I like it better this way. I left a note for them before I ran away, telling them that I wasn't going to become a young lady of any sort, and not to worry, that I would be just fine wherever I was going. But what you were doing, heading out for the swamp alone, and in the middle of the night? And what were those weird words you were mumbling? You're lucky I saw you and followed."

Tyren shrugged, not wanting to talk, or even think about the strange force that controlled his body at times.

"Must've been sleepwalking. Anyway, I gotta head back across the swamp now to go to Midgar, and I'll need your chocobo for that."

It was clear she didn't buy his explanation, but she wisely dropped the subject.

"I'm not going to Midgar. I thought I'd already explained that. Besides, you're in no condition to get there, on foot or on chocobo. I know a place just through the mountains, where I have some friends who'll look after us for awhile. From there you can go to Junon and hitch a ride on an airship back to Midgar."

"No. I gotta go there now."

He struggled upright, and steadied himself, panting, against a wooden pole.

"Uh, Tyren, I wouldn't do that. Look at what it is."

Focusing his mind enough to examine his surroundings, he jumped back when he saw a Zolom impaled on the huge stake.

"You… you didn't do this, did you?"

"No, I wish. It's been here for a while. It appeared after the black-caped man came through. I definitely wouldn't want to get on his bad side."

Tyren pushed aside the shiver of fear that the description of the man sent through him, and abruptly turned his back to the gruesome sight.

"I'm leaving for Midgar now, and I'm borrowing your chocobo to get there. So I recommend you come too."

His breathing was laboured as he strapped on both his pack and his sword, and with great difficulty, walked over to the chocobo.

"Well, if you're going to be that way about it…" Caaliey sighed.

The hilt of the dagger hit his head with much more force than he ever thought one could, and he blacked out again_._


	15. Fort Condor

Sorry about the rewrite. Just revamping Caaliey's character throughout my draft to avoid a Mary Sue.

* * *

The man hailed Caaliey from the top of the fort as she approached. A rope slithered down through a small hole, and with amazing agility, she leapt up it, leaving Qwark and the unconscious Tyren below.

"Back again? I thought you were heading off to Midgar today."

She shrugged.

"My travelling companion and I got kinda sidetracked. He's lying unconscious on Qwark right now… Can you help me pull him up?"

"No problem. Buzz, get down here. There's someone who needs your help."

A face, looking slightly older than hers, appeared through a hole in the ceiling.

"Yes, dad?"

He grinned when he saw Caaliey.

"That was a quick trip there and back."

"I missed you, that's why. My friend's down there and unconscious, so I need you to help me pull him up. I'll send his pack and sword up after him – I swear they weigh as much as he does."

When Tyren was settled into a bed in the downstairs room, Gel turned to her.

"Now maybe you can explain what this is all about. I've got a responsibility to your grandparents too, you know."

"He's now my official travel companion, according to them. We were meant to go to Midgar and ended up in the marsh."

"But they're in opposite directions!"

She sighed, not wanting to relive the events of the night before.

"Don't ask. He was nearly crushed to death by the Zolom, so I brought him here to heal up first. He has this thing about going to Midgar as soon as possible, but I plan on dragging him to Junon with me first."

Gel's eyes narrowed as he took in the information.

"You were just going to head off without telling your grandparents? Do you know how worried they'll be when they discover that you never reached Midgar? That's incredibly irresponsible on your part. I'm going to escort both of you back tomorrow. I'll leave you to do the explaining."

Caaliey's eyes narrowed to match his. Her sense of betrayal from the very person she thought would support her erupted into anger at her situation, and the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"I don't care! They deserve to be worried, if they're going to send me off to do something I don't want to do. Let them regret what they tried to do! Let them worry! Like I give a damn!"

Gel's reproachful glare turned her thoughts in a direction she felt she would rather avoid, and she stared down at her feet, unable to take back her words.

"I meant it. Looking at me that way isn't going to change how I feel. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Buzz to go catch up with."


	16. Who's Next?

Tyren swivelled his head wildly in the darkness, and groaned.

"Oh no, not here again. Raun, where the hell are you making me go this time? Why won't you let me go to Midgar to rescue my parents?"

The voice came from behind him, and he jumped.

"I have other plans for you. I could simply make you like so many of the others, you realise, totally mindless. You're lucky that I'd rather not do that to someone only half-tame."

"What others? What are you talking about? I just want to find my parents!"

"And you will, I'm sure. All in good time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were at Junon. Here's a hint: Start your search for them there. I suppose it's just as well that you're heading that way."

Raun gave Tyren an appraising look.

"You seem even scrawnier than before, you know. Are you sure you've been eating right?"

His laughter followed Tyren as he blinked to see grassland surrounding him, the sea visible on the horizon.

"Tyren!"

He jumped as he spun around to see Caaliey riding up to him on Qwark, her pack hanging from the side.

"I thought you said you were heading back to Midgar. How come you're going towards Junon? You do know your way around, don't you?"

Tyren shrugged.

"That's what the world map is for. It's just that I've decided to go to Junon. Did you want to come along for the ride?"

"I decided to leave yesterday. I saw you go past my tent after I woke up this morning, so I figured I'd better follow you in case you got into any more trouble."

"Trouble's coming up fast towards you if you're interested."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Tyren. Do I look like an idiot?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? Turn around."

He pointed at the prickly green bird coming up fast, and drew his sword. Giving it a few practice swings, he realised just how much he appreciated the ease with which he wielded it. Caaliey leapt off Qwark, her hands instinctively going to her daggers.

Tyren leapt forwards and sliced off a good portion of the bird's wing, and while it was distracted, Caaliey ducked underneath and drove one of her daggers upwards, aiming for the heart. The bird screamed in pain, and would have sent its talons straight through her had he not utilised his enemy skill. Extending his palms, he sent the tendrils of magic curling around the creature's head and blinding it as Caaliey scrambled out from underneath.

Obviously disorientated, it released a huge gust of wind as the two ducked and covered themselves as best they could. Tyren found himself surprisingly refreshed after it, and noted that his enemy skill materia was now glowing bright yellow. Caaliey, it seemed, was feeling the same way, and she leapt onto the bird's neck almost effortlessly. Hands wrapped around the back of its neck, she clung on tightly as it swung its head around wildly, before delivering a crushing blow to its throat with the hilt of her dagger. It collapsed as she swung off to one side, brushing her hands off with a self-satisfied grin.

"So, who's next?"


	17. Teamwork

They'd decided to make camp for the night, so Caaliey headed to the forest to find some firewood. She used the time to ponder her situation.

_I didn't really mean what I said yesterday… But Gel'll tell them that I'm fine, so I don't have to worry about that. But I'm sure Tyren'll let me go along with him. After all… we're a good team…_

She returned to the tents clutching the few sticks she'd bothered to gather in one hand. Tyren had finished re-bandaging the gaping slash down his leg, and was digging out the food from the packs. He'd tried to use his cure materia on the wound, albeit unsuccessfully. She figured it was because he'd been too weak at the time. For some reason, he hadn't allowed her to try with hers, and insisted on creating a crude bandage for it by ripping up a spare shirt. When she stamped her foot in annoyance and glared at him, he simply shrugged it off and gave her a roguish grin, picking up his pack and walking with a noticeable limp to where Qwark stood. Deciding not to press the issue any further, she simply mounted Qwark as well, and led him on. Now, she decided to give it another go. After starting up what could hardly be called a fire, she walked over to where he sat, polishing his sword.

"Ok, time to heal your leg properly."

He looked up, and rolled his eyes in a friendly way.

"It's best to leave things alone, sometimes. Just let it heal naturally. It shouldn't take more than a few days, anyway."

"Just let me use it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I already tried using my own cure materia. And that healing wind from my yellow materia. Both didn't work. A night's sleep should do."

He swayed slightly as he spoke, and Caaliey was pretty sure that it was from the loss of blood. With one deft movement, she unsheathed her dagger and sliced through the material. Ignoring his protests, she placed her hand gently on his wound, and used the cure materia embedded in the armour on her wrist. They both looked away as the wound repaired itself, the ribbons of magic stitching together the torn muscle and flesh. When they looked back, all that was left was a superficial scratch, waiting for new skin to grow over the top.

With a wan smile, Tyren rose unsteadily.

"I think I'll be off to bed now – I'm not very hungry. I unpacked the food while you were gone, and it's right next to the packs. Night."

Before she could say anything, he headed to his pack to fetch his roll, and placed it beside the fire. She clenched her fists, and with great difficulty resisted the urge to yell insults at him_. Not even a word of thanks. What an ungrateful jerk. I should just leave him now. No way I'm travelling round the world with someone like him_.


	18. Dependence

Tyren was distraught. He was coming to rely too much on Caaliey, he realised. And that was not good, especially since he didn't want her involved in his quest to find his parents. He was already a wanted man, and he had no intention of adding her to the Shinra's elimination list. He could excuse the fact that she fought alongside him by reasoning that he could have taken on the creatures alone.

But needing her to cure him, that was a completely different matter. It meant that he depended too heavily on her, that without her, he wouldn't have made it. It was the reason why he had been so insistent that the wound be left alone. Even then, she'd had her way in the end. _If I'd been thinking straight, I'd never have let her_. A more logical part of his mind said to him, _You were light-headed from the loss of blood. And if she hadn't healed you, you'd be dead because of it._

He kept his eyes shut as he heard Caaliey laying out her own bedroll on the opposite side of the fire. Unable to resist the urge, he opened his eyes slightly, and noticed she carefully kept her back to him at all times._ She's mad, all right_. _Who'd have thought she'd be so damn sensitive?_ He sighed silently. It wouldn't be a very pleasant journey tomorrow_. I'll apologise tomorrow, I suppose. Getting to Junon would take much longer without a chocobo._


	19. A Tentative Relationship

"I don't see why you want to become a mercenary. It's not that great a job, and that's from first hand experience."

Tyren was attempting to get Caaliey to talk civilly to him while sitting behind her on Qwark. She'd let him on her chocobo, but only because she said he would slow them down otherwise. So far, all her answers had been in one word only, and he was hoping that this topic would break the uncomfortable silence. The grassy fields on the way to Junon had yielded no monsters as of yet.

"Mmm."

She flipped her head, her hair slapping Tyren's face. He was tempted to give up, but resolved that he would get a full sentence out of her if only for personal satisfaction.

"First of all, you only travel the world if the person who hires you wishes to do so. Which isn't often. Normally, all they're after is a personal bodyguard. Maybe you'll get to travel between towns, but that's it. The people who go on adventures to the far corners of the earth don't usually need to hire anyone to protect them. Secondly, these so called 'interesting enemies' are normally those people who threaten whoever hired you. Are you really willing to kill people in cold blood? And the pay isn't all that great. You only get good money if you're one of the best. Unfortunately, there will always be people better than you. It's just a fact of life. Honestly, the whole setup sucks."

By the way her hands tightened slightly around the reigns, he knew she only feigned indifference. A smile crept over his face as he saw the chance to needle her a bit.

"Aww, poor baby… did I destroy your dream that quickly? Do you want to run back to granny so she can kiss you better?"

He released one arm from around her waist to give her a condescending pat on the head, and she responded by swinging her heel back in the stirrup, whacking him soundly in the shin. He could feel the satisfaction radiating off her as he yelled in pain, and looking down, he could tell that there would be a nasty bruise there the next day. It was all worth it, however, as she finally decided to speak to him.

"Don't be such an idiot. Anyway, I can't go running back home when I have a helpless boy clinging to me the whole way, can I? Now how would that look to everyone else? I couldn't possibly deliberately disgrace someone so dependent on me."

Tyren narrowed his eyes, making a mock angry face, then attempted to slap the back of her head. Casually lifting her arm to stop it, she laughed.

"Uh uh uh. Just remember who's giving who the ride."

With a grin, Tyren lowered his arm. Maybe the ride to Junon wouldn't be so bad after all.


	20. Friendship?

Caaliey squealed and ducked behind Qwark, and he squawked in outrage as the water drenched him. Then he shook his head, sending water everywhere, and chased Tyren around in circles. It was all she could do to stay upright as she laughed at the ridiculous sight. Tyren ran past her, his sopping clothes spraying her liberally, and she was sure she saw a smirk on his face as he did so. On a sudden impulse, she'd ridden Qwark straight into the sea, and pushed Tyren off before he realised what was happening. Then he'd come after her. When all three of them had finally emerged from the water, Tyren turned to her.

"What are you going to do with Qwark? We don't even know how long we'll be in Junon for."

"Oh, that's ok, I'll just send him to Fort Condor with a note asking them to take care of him. He knows the way. Chocobos are amazingly intelligent. I'll miss him, though. And I know he's gonna miss me."

Tyren smiled ruefully as he rubbed his hair dry with an old shirt.

"Somehow, I don't think he'll miss me. He didn't seem too happy about the water."

"Don't mind Qwark. He gets like that sometimes. Turn around, will you? And don't peek."

Tyren grinned openly as he turned, and she glared at him, before continuing the conversation.

"You know, you're one of the most determined people I've ever met."

She laughed, with a hint of nostalgia flavouring it.

"My gran always said that it was a recipe for success…"

Caaliey was surprised to note the bitterness in his tone as he responded.

"That's a good one. I've never heard anything more ridiculous."

Her temper flared, and the pitch of her voice rose slightly.

"Are you saying that my gran's a liar? 'Cause if you are…"

"No. I'm just saying that maybe she doesn't know what she's talking about. I'll bet both of you can't even comprehend what failure really is."

"Yeah? Try me. It's not like it's the end of the world, you know. You're just overreacting."

"How could you possibly call it overreacting when the hurt and disgust fill every part of your mind?"

She wasn't sure to whom the contempt in his tone was directed, but decided that a change of topic wouldn't be a bad idea. She was subdued as she draped her damp clothes on Qwark's neck.

"Ok, you can turn around now. I'll write a note to Gel, and send Qwark to Fort Condor. They'll look after him there."

She felt slightly hurt when Tyren refused to face her, keeping his head down as he replied perfunctorily.

"Fine."

She could tell he was embarrassed by what he had just said, and searched desperately for something to say. Unable to come up with anything, she turned to Qwark to say goodbye to him.

"Take care, baby. Don't stop till you get there, ok? And don't go pecking at strange things, it's not good for you."

Past Qwark, she saw Tyren's shoulders shaking, and when he turned to look at them, she saw with surprise that he was laughing. Seeing her quizzical look, he paused to explain.

"My friend and I secretly raised a chocobo when we were kids. One day it went exploring, found a bandersnatch, and jabbed its beak straight up the creature's butt. It went flying through the air and landed metres away. Of course, it came back rather pissed off, but we massacred it."

Caaliey joined in, and their laughter lightened the sombre mood. She found that it seemed to bridge the gap that had appeared between them. Scribbling a quick note, she gave it to Qwark and hugged him tightly around his neck. He pecked at her ear in reply, and she felt a pang of sadness when he headed off for Fort Condor. As she watched him disappear over the horizon, Tyren tapped her on the shoulder, mischief in his eyes.

"I hope you realised that your clothes were still on him when he left. I don't think you'll be seeing them again. I bet they'll have flown off by the time he reaches the fort."

"Oh no! That was my favourite shirt!"

Tyren smiled, beginning to walk towards the sizeable structure in the distance.

"You really shouldn't play with water, then."

* * *

**rjectkd89: **Yeah, it's something like that. They just rub each other the wrong way sometimes, that's all.


	21. The Enemy

I don't know if anyone still reads this, or will read it. I know it hasn't been updated in almost two years...whoops. But, I found it again, and thought it worth reviving. So, if you are actually reading it... enjoy! Oh, and I apologise for the spacing of the paragraphs, it seems the online editor hates me. > 

* * *

Tyren could only stare in amazement as the cannons of Junon loomed before him.

"Whoa… it's almost as impressive as Midgar! We'll be going up there, won't we?"

He was somewhat discomfited by the lack of response from Caaliey.

"Well, kinda… not exactly up there…"

"What do you mean, not exactly up there?"

"The only way in that I know of is through lower Junon, which is a small slum underneath the main city. There's a lift up, but it's guarded by Shinra soldiers."

"And you didn't think to mention this earlier, of course."

"Well, I thought that since you had that sword of yours, you could just threaten them. There's normally only one guard anyway. What do you want, an escort up?"

"The fact that they might set off an alarm at the top never occurred to you? Being an outlaw in a military city isn't the best position to be in."

Caaliey shrugged, her face impassive.

"We can figure it out when we get there. No big deal. It'll work out in the end, trust me. Now, are you coming? I thought you were desperate to get to Midgar."

Without a single look back at him, she continued walking towards Junon, leaving Tyren staring at her, dumbfounded.

* * *

"So, are you going to let me use the lift or not?"

He swung the point of his sword menacingly close to the soldier's throat. What seemed to be most of the small town had turned out to watch the spectacle, this mysterious stranger threatening one of the hated Shinra.

The soldier's voice was shrill as he replied.

"No. Move that sword away! I can have a huge number of SOLDIER after you in a second if you do anything."

His finger hovered threateningly over a button.

"Or, I could just swing my sword, lop off your head, and be done with it. It's your choice, really."

"And I'll press the button. I'll give you three seconds to leave before I do. One, tw-"

A man stormed onto the scene, his regulation Shinra rifle in one hand, obviously unhappy with the proceedings.

"You have the nerve to threaten my friend? I wouldn't recommend it."

He turned to face Tyren squarely, gun cocked and ready. When his eyes met Tyren's, the man jumped back, and dropped his rifle to the ground.

"You're one of them, aren't you? I can tell just by your eyes."

Tyren merely stared at him in confusion, wondering what it was about him that would cause such abject fear in a person he had never met.

"I'm sure there's a way to get you into upper Junon, if you'll just let me handle this."

At a painful elbow in the ribs from Caaliey, who was standing beside him, Tyren acquiesced, and the man proceeded to lead his friend aside for a little talk.

The three of them ducked into a locker room in the small base as a pair of soldiers strolled past. Tyren turned to the man, who had managed to bribe their way into the elevator.

"I need to get to where the airships are. I'm hitching a ride back to Midgar."

"The airship's just out that door, but it's heavily guarded. It'll be hard, and very dangerous. So first, I want to know why, just to make sure it's worth risking my life for. I'm don't want to get myself killed just because you wanted to get back to your girl in a hurry."

Tyren glared.

"I'd rather not say, _Shinra_. I don't know why you agreed to help, but if you even think about betraying us, I'll have your head before you can even unsling your rifle. Got it?"

"You can threaten my life all you want, but if you don't tell me why, I'm not going to guide you there. You go alone, you'll end up in pieces."

Tyren raised his sword, but the man continued.

"Fine. Kill me if you want. I suppose you could call it a kind of poetic justice. But you still won't be able to get through, and no doubt you'll be spotted by a bunch of soldiers sooner or later. You need me. Accept it."

Tyren stood unmoving for a while, until he finally sighed and slumped down to the ground.

"Just go, then. I don't need you, and being from Shinra, it's most likely a trap, anyway. I'll make my own way back."

"Fine. But if you should so happen to change your mind, you can find me at the first materia shop on the left. The owner lets me hide out there sometimes, to avoid any Shinra soldiers when I have business to do up here."

The man shrugged his rifle into a more comfortable position, and walked off towards Junon city. Tyren lowered his head in his hands, as Caaliey stood helplessly beside him.


	22. Confrontation

They found the man exactly where he said he'd be, calmly polishing his rifle. He looked up as they entered, as if he'd expected them.

"You really want to know why, Shinra?"

Tyren stood in front of the man, looking down at him and spitting out the words angrily, accusingly.

"YOU took my parents. YOU made them prisoners. And why? Because they had the nerve to object to Shinra's mako plant!"

His blood rose, and the words came tumbling out of his mouth as he stabbed his finger at the man.

"YOU ruined my life, turned it into a mess. How dare you! Now they're gone, and I haven't seen them in years. Maybe I'll never see them again! I don't know! It's all YOUR fault, your fault! I hate you, I hate Shinra, I hate them all, every stinking one of them!"

He pounded the wall in frustration, unable to find a release for the pain and hatred that welled up inside of him.

"And I can't do a damn thing about it!"

The man's eyes were stricken, as he silently took Tyren's abuse. Caaliey stepped in and touched Tyren's arm, the anger on her face now moulded into sympathy.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back. You can count me in."

Biting back his lip at his inadvertent tirade, Tyren transformed his face back into his familiar emotionless façade.

"I don't want your pity. You weren't meant to get involved in this whole mess. I didn't want you getting caught up in something that would risk your life."

He turned back to the man.

"So, Shinra, was that enough reason for you? Or is your life worth too much for that?"

The man steadied himself with a few deep breaths.

"In that case, you won't be heading to Midgar. I believe Nibelheim is where you'll find them."

They returned to the same locker room in the airship base, and the man went to work on the locks of a few of the lockers.

"My name's Jag, by the way."

"And why should we care, Shinra?"

Tyren knew he was behaving like a petulant child, but at the moment, he didn't care. The storm of emotions in him was threatening to explode, and it was all he could do to keep them at bay. He didn't want to be reduced to a beast again, especially not in front of this man. He was amazed at how well the Shinra kept his temper, merely biting his lip in response and continuing his work on the locks. Tyren didn't even notice any flashes of anger, or even annoyance, pass his features. He wondered why it was that this Shinra took his abuse with apparent willingness. Before he could say anything else, Caaliey stepped in.

"I'm Caaliey. And the_ jerk_ over there's Tyren."

She said it pointedly, aiming her words directly at him. She really was an idiot to trust their names to a likely enemy. Shinra hadn't even said why he thought his parents were in Nibelheim. He decided to voice that thought, before it got away from him.

"And we're supposed to just trust you, of course. You say Nibelheim. Well, I say why? You're expecting us to just follow you blindly? But of course, Oh Great One. Whatever you say, Oh-"

Caaliey, all her previous sympathy now transformed back into anger, cut him off.

"Shut up, Tyren. Ever since we met up with Jag you've been brooding and bitter. You're totally different from before."

"And you know me so well, don't you?" he mocked her.

He knew he'd gone too far when her eyes blazed in fury, but knew that it was too late to take it back.

"Be that way if you must. Stop wallowing in your self-pity and just move on already. I'm sick of it. You're not a kid, you know. I wish I was working with a kid instead of you – they behave much better."

She turned back to Shinra, who had finally finished picking the lock. With a triumphant grin, he flung the door open, and produced a Shinra uniform.

"There's one here, and I'm sure that the other lockers will have more. Put this on, and we'll be able to sneak aboard the Highwind's next flight to Nibelheim."

At the sight of the clothing he had spent his life fearing and despising, the tide of red he had struggled to hold back overcame him. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor, Shinra's knee on his chest, Shinra's arms holding his down. He blinked his eyes, coming around enough to cease the growling at the back of his throat. Slowly, he felt the pressure release, and lifted himself off the ground, Shinra's eyes trained on him the whole time. He noticed Caaliey standing to one side, her face a study in worry. Mentally, he berated himself.

You failed. Again. You can't even stay a human. Now he knows your weakness.

He looked down, and saw scraps of shredded cloth around him. Caaliey spoke up disgustedly.

"What happened? You just went mad. Are you throwing a tantrum over a stupid uniform? Geez."

Tyren tried ignore the accusations of failure being flung about in his mind, and responded with a shrug.

"I don't like this, but according to Shinra here it's necessary if I want to get to my parents. So, let's get this over and done with. It's do and die, anyway."

He turned to Shinra and looked at him challengingly.

"Lead on, Great One."

* * *

She was itchy. The uniform stank. It was impossible to breath under the helmet. Yet she trudged along behind the other two, and hoped Jag knew what he was doing. It seemed wrong to her, to be wearing the clothing of her enemy, but she knew Tyren found it harder to swallow. He was so angry and resentful now, and it grated on her nerves. She could understand why he hated Jag – he was Tyren's scapegoat for everything the Shinra had done to him. Yet Jag himself had never done anything to Tyren, and she wished he would see that. In fact, she wished he would see how incredibly stupid, angsty and annoying he was acting. It was like meeting Jag had flipped a switch labelled "Jerk". They halted at the ramp leading into the airship. Actually standing next to it, Caaliey was overcome with awe at its size and grandeur. Staring at it, she barely noticed Jag talking with the two soldiers on guard there, and completely missed whatever excuse it was that he used to get them in. It was only when a soldier behind her nudged her hard and gestured to the two already halfway up the ramp that she was shaken out of her reverie, and hurried to catch up with them. 


	23. Revelations

Jag had never been more relieved when they had managed to get past the guards. He took Caaliey and Tyren to one side, and told them to keep out of the way of everything.

"It's best if we stay unnoticed, obviously. Don't forget, we're soldiers who were put onto guarding this ship's cargo at the last minute. If anyone talks to you, pretend to be disgruntled that you're missing out on your spare shifts."

Tyren turned to him, and Jag felt grateful that he couldn't see his face. His green eyes were a constant rebuke, and any words Tyren directed at him cut more deeply than anyone else's could.

"And what's this precious cargo we're taking from here to Nibelheim? Bodies of prisoners to dump in Mt. Nibel?"

Behind his helmet, Jag blanched. You wouldn't know how close you are to the truth. He took a deep breath before he trusted himself to speak. He didn't want them to find out the real nature of the cargo, at least not yet. Who knew what they might do, especially Tyren, who had probably been very close to the same fate. This was the last batch, anyway, so it wouldn't hurt if they were kept in the dark a bit longer.

"Just standard stuff," he heard himself say, and also winced at the truth in that statement.

"It's nothing much. We should probably go see if they need our help with anything, so it doesn't look like we're being lazy."

With that, he strode away before he was faced with any more of those unnerving questions.

* * *

Tyren sighed. The length of the journey was wearing down his patience. Worse yet, he didn't even know if that Shinra could be trusted. Maybe they'd just be put down at Nibelheim, left to fend for themselves, while the airship flew off, the Shinra with it. He was itching to see what this cargo was that Shinra had been so eager to put him off. He gestured in the direction of the toilets, and at their nods, walked down the corridor. When he was around the corner, he began searching for a way into the cargo hold. He was certain that there was an entrance here, as he had seen various soldiers bring bags of supplies down this corridor, emerging empty-handed. He found it at the end of the corridor, in the form of a hatch. Lifting it up, he clambered down in a hurry, before anyone could spot him. To be confronted by a mass of people in black cloaks, pressing in around him.

"...must... go... Reun... ion..."

"...Where... are... you...? Great... Se... phi... roth..."

"The... Great... Se... phi... roth... is... near..."

" He's... calling... Sephiroth... is... calling..."

The voices, eerily devoid of all though and emotion, touched something inside him. Drawing his sword, desperation in his eyes, he lifted his voice above all those around him, slashing at them.

"I'm not like you! I'm nothing like you! We're completely different! I'm not going after the legendary Sephiroth! He doesn't control me, or my thoughts, or my actions! I'm completely independent, do you hear? I'M NOT LIKE YOU!"

A chillingly familiar voice broke through his frenzy. It came from one of the black cloaks, he could tell.

"Tyren, Tyren, Tyren. You're not like them? I cannot control your thoughts? But I have come so close, and willingly let you go. How many times have we spoken before, and how many times have you woken up to find yourself in places you would not have gone willingly? I am Sephiroth to those mindless creatures, as that is the tool I use. I am Sephiroth to the other, as it is Sephiroth he is after. And to you, I am Raun. He is who I use to provoke you to my will. But above all else, I AM JENOVA. And this I tell you. Your pathetic parents will not be in Nibelheim. The Shinra placed those with my cells there, but I have already summoned them. The North Crater. That is where you must go if you wish to find them. I already have what I need. It is in the hands of the other failure. And he will bring it to me, whether he wishes to or not. You, you must make your way directly to the North Crater if you are to find your parents in time. Or, do you wish to fail again?"

Its mocking laugh jerked Tyren out of his shocked stupor, and he felled the black cloak where it stood. Scrabbling at the ladder, he raced out of the hold, slamming the hatch shut behind him. He was shaking as he sank down to the ground, and the last thing he saw was a Shinra soldier approaching him, as the darkness reached up and grabbed him.

* * *

As soon as he saw Tyren, Jag knew, with a sinking feeling, that Tyren had discovered what the cargo actually was. Not good. He'd had to, with Caaliey's help, drag him into an empty room just down the hallway. He could hear the chocobos rustling in the straw in the room above him, and hoped that the noise would cover them. Caaliey hovered over Tyren the same way he remembered Hojo doing over his beloved experiments, and he rolled his eyes at the uselessness of it. He thought of mentioning it, but some shred of wisdom in him told him it would be better if he kept his mouth shut. She voiced her concerns freely to Jag.

"I hope he didn't go crazy again. I don't see any other reason why he'd just faint like that. Unless he's sick, and that's the real reason why he's been acting so strangely. Then again, he doesn't feel feverish… I don't see why he can't just forget about everything and move on."

Irritated, he decided to speak up.

"I think he's just had a huge shock. You came when he was already unconscious, but I saw him shaking before he hit the ground. It wasn't a pretty sight. And worrying isn't going to do much. Just leave him be. He'll wake up when he wakes up."

She ignored him, and pulled out a green materia. Placing on the armour on her wrist, she crouched down beside Tyren, shutting her eyes in concentration. The ribbons of magic wrapped around him, then faded away, leaving no noticeable difference. Caaliey opened her eyes, anticipation shining through, only to be extinguished when she found him in the same state as before. Closing her eyes again, she repeated the process over and over, until she was so obviously exhausted that Jag felt the obligation to step in, and gently shuttle her away.

"Cure materia can't do everything. I think this is one of those things that's best left alone."

She nodded mutely, too tired to fight, and curled up in a ball in a corner of the room. Great. Now I have two people to worry about.

In the middle of the room, Tyren groaned, and they both rushed over to him.

Caaliey sat herself beside Tyren as his eyes fluttered open. Hearing his voice, filled with despair as it was, and knowing that he was ok and perfectly normal filled her with relief.

"They're not at Nibelheim. It's too late. They're already gone from there. I was too late. I should have gotten there earlier. It's all my fault. I let them down again. Am I doomed to be nothing more than a failure? Is that my life?"

His eyes were blank, staring straight up at the ceiling, containing a lifelong pain she'd never seen before. She looked at Jag, and saw that he, too was worried about the sudden change in Tyren. Even though his words made no sense to her, she continued to nod as he continued talking.

"Raun told me, you know. Except that he's not Raun. He's also Sephiroth, but he's Jenova. And I have to go to the Northern Crater. He told me that too. I don't know how to get there, though. I don't even know where it is. I never listened in geography. My parents always told me to listen in class, and I never did. I really screwed up there. I know failure very well. But it's always the one finding me. Always."

Caaliey didn't know what to say. Instead, she placed her hand on top of his clammy one.

"Just sleep, Tyren. And I want you to know that I don't think you're a failure. If you were, I'd never have put so much trust in you. Quit moaning, and do something about it."

Tyren finally swivelled his gaze to stare at her.

"That's nice."

Then he closed his eyes again.

Jag dared not look directly at Caaliey as she spoke to him.

"He's raving and delirious. How are we supposed to get him out of here in this condition?"

"I don't know. We have a few minutes to think of a plan, though. The Highwind's about to land, and we have to get him out of here without anyone the wiser."

"Why don't we just carry him out? Say he collapsed or something, and needs the fresh air."

"And how do you propose we do that? I can't carry him AND his sword, and I doubt you could lift his sword alone."

"Hey, I got it!"

Caaliey ran out of the room at that point, leaving Jag staring, dumbfounded, at the door. He then turned his attention back to Tyren, willing him to get up. At worst, we can just wrap him in a black cloak and pass him off as a clone, I suppose, he thought resignedly to himself. The sound of something being wheeled into the room made him spin around into a defensive position, and he found himself looking down his rifle at Caaliey and a large moving cart. Throwing off the blanket and boxes, she grabbed Tyren's feet and began to drag him onto it. Jag quickly grabbed his upper body, lifting it to the level of the cart. Caaliey rebuilt the boxes around Tyren, and threw the blanket back over the lot. With a nod at Jag, she replaced her helmet, and he followed suit. Together, they wheeled it out, past unsuspecting soldiers, and down the ramp to Nibelheim.


End file.
